Greggs’ share price soars after beefing up profit forecast December 15, 2014 The figures Bakery chain Greggs has reported a strong half-year trading, with like-for-like sales in its own shops up 5.2 per cent for the 24 weeks to December 13. That's quite an improvement on the growth it was seeing this time last year – 0.7 per cent on 2012 – and, as a result, Greggs [...]
Grocery deflation continues to tumble as Aldi and Lidl ramp up supermarket price war December 16, 2014 The supermarket sector has nudged back into growth after the surprise decline recorded last month. Figures out today from Kantar Worldpanel show that for the 12 weeks to December 7, the grocery market grew 0.1 per cent. The data company said this was down to “shoppers putting slightly more in their baskets compared with [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 will showcase sport’s booming licensing opportunities for brands September 18, 2015 The culmination of months of sporting excitement aside, there are plenty of business reasons we should be happy about the arrival of the Rugby World Cup in our back garden. One of them is the opportunity within the licensing industry. The licensing industry is booming –the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association’s recent Annual Global [...]
Boxing day sales: Stats, facts and pictures as queues form overnight for bargain bonanza December 26, 2014 High streets in the UK have been overflowing as boxing day sales lured shoppers out of the house with some of the biggest discounts in years. Queues even formed overnight outside department stores in Oxford Street and Westfield shopping mall in Stratford with bargain-hunters looking to nab the best deals ahead of the crowds. Pictures [...]
Royal Mail share price falls more than 8 per cent after it warns on parcels business November 19, 2014 Shares in Royal Mail had fallen more than eight per cent to 431p in early afternoon trading, after the company posted disappointing half-year profits and warned its parcel business is likely to be impacted by heavy competition. The business, which was floated at 330p last October, has been the subject of fierce debate, with MPs [...]
When is the best time to go Christmas shopping? Here are London’s busiest days so you can avoid them November 20, 2014 Next week is expected to see the start of the Christmas rush with Black Friday on November 28 – a US import that was brought about to stimulate spend after Thanksgiving. Fast becoming a crucial part in the retail calendar, high street names such as John Lewis are predicting big things, with many [...]
Payday loan price cap comes into force but unintended consequences may already be starting to show January 2, 2015 The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) controversial cap on the cost of payday loans comes into effect today. The rate of interest and fees charged on payday loans will now be limited to 0.8 per cent per day. The changes are also meant to ensure that if a borrower defaults they will not need to pay [...]
Christmas just got tougher for Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons: Lidl adds “discount” oysters to its deluxe range November 21, 2014 In a year dominated by the rise of the discount grocer, it's perhaps no surprise that Lidl and Aldi will be pulling out all the stops to bring consumers a bit of low-cost luxury. Lidl, which launched a £5 lobster in 2009, has a track record of doing exactly that but this year it's pulling [...]
Royal Mail has taken a battering but is still valued brand – Brand Index December 16, 2014 THE CHRISTMAS period is always one of great stress and pressure for the delivery sector. With Royal Mail’s hold over the industry beginning to be threatened, I can use YouGov BrandIndex data to assess how it has been performing in the run up to this crucial time. Of course, Royal Mail has been repeatedly in [...]
Halfords boss poached by Tesco: Matt Davies says he’s gutted to leave the firm January 21, 2015 Matt Davies, you can tell, is squirming in his seat at being asked about his new role at Tesco during a call for Halfords’ trading update. “I am genuinely gutted to be leaving Halfords,” Davies explains. “It was absolutely not in my script to be leaving. But when I was approached by Tesco and given [...]